Intertwined FC Tucson, UofA men's soccer teams to take pitch Sunday for friendly at Kino North

The former Canyon del Oro High School and Pima College player is FC Tucson’s chief operating officer and a minority owner in the club; he’s also the first-team head coach and director of soccer for the University of Arizona Men’s Soccer club.

The UA men’s team is who FC Tucson faces at 7 p.m. in a friendly at Kino North Stadium.

“It’ll be my last game coaching the club for a while so it’ll be a fun occasion I think,” Cornell said of the Wildcats’ final match of the season.

Normally at FC Tucson or MLS preseason matches, Cornell can be seen making sure the events run smoothly; on Sunday, however, he’ll be coaching the Wildcats — though he does plan to help with game operations pregame Sunday, at least.

“I’ll be in the building bright and early to help with preparations but during the game I’ll be on the bench,” Cornell said.

Cornell is one of many UA/FC Tucson connections. FC Tucson first team and pro academy head coach Sebastian Pineda serves as an assistant for Arizona’s varsity women’s side.

Pineda, who is a coach for FC Tucson Youth, also said there’s a lot of FCTY alumni that play for the Wildcats; the UA team isn’t an NCAA program, but operates through the university’s Campus Recreation department, with its home games at Dave Sitton Field, adjacent to the “SouthREC” facility on the southern edge of the UA campus.

Sunday marks the first time FC Tucson has played the UA men since the mid-2010s.

“I think it’s gonna be a good opportunity for them and, of course, for us just knowing Kyle,” Pineda said. “We have a personal relationship so I’m looking so forward to it.”

In the 2023-24 season, the UA went 10-4 and won the Southwest Cup for the first time since 2017.

The Wildcats also launched a second team, leading to them rostering about 70 players this season. The second team also won its division’s Southwest Cup.

“It’s probably one of the biggest successes that we had on the year,” UA men’s soccer club president Ben Brewer said.

Sometimes UA players work FC Tucson games and preseason pro matches. FC Tucson also recruits UA students for game day ops positions.

Working for FC Tucson can also help them make connections to work in soccer like former Wildcat player Carter Noble, now the head coach of the California Football Academy and Academy Operations Coordinator for Orange Country SC of the second tier USL Championship.

Although the Wildcats haven’t been able to practice much the last couple of weeks due to finals and some players have gone home for the year, Brewer said they are “super eager” for Sunday’s matchup.

“It’s gonna be amazing,” said Brewer, who is a junior forward. “I never thought that we’d get the opportunity to play FC Tucson; I’m super happy that Kyle is there to leverage his connection through FC Tucson to get us that game.”

Cornell is stepping down as Arizona’s coach to coach at FC Tucson Youth but will be available to help the UA off the pitch.

“Kyle’s a great coach. He has a lot of good insight,” Brewer said. “I think he’s very knowledgeable about the game. I think he lets us know what we need to hear — doesn’t say too much or too little.

“He just plays his own game.”

UA assistant coach and future head coach Jacob Contreras was set to play for FC Tucson last year but got injured playing for the University of Texas at Tyler. Contreras, who played for Ironwood Ridge High School and Pima, will play left back for the UA on Sunday.

“We have so many Pima guys, so many UA guys that have supported this program,” said Jon Pearlman, FC Tucson’s owner, technical director and assistant head coach.

Corner kicks

FC Tucson posted on social media that their first “Barrio 2 Barrio” event of the year will be on Monday from 6-8 p.m. at the Kino North Grandstand. It will feature a free soccer clinic for kids ages 6-12, as well as music and food trucks. There are 75 clinic spots.